A shelved plan to construct one of Canada's tallest buildings at Toronto's Yonge and Gerrard intersection was resurrected in 2021, when developer Concord Pacific / Adex announced its purchase of the former YSL (Yonge Street Living) Residences from Cresford.

Now rebranded as Concord Sky, the 85-storey condominium tower (though Concord markets it as 95 storeys) has undergone a redesign, modifying the previous knife-shaped plan from York-based Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) working with Toronto's architects—Alliance (a—A).

This redesign has preserved the shape, wrapping the tower in balconies where the previous developer's plan had the exterior finished in sleek expanses of glass, these revisions being depicted much clearer in the latest batch of renderings revealed this week.

The tower will rise 85 stories above Yonge at Gerrard. Rendering by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates/architects—Alliance.

Construction for the previous iteration of the project commenced back in April 2019, but it didn't take long for things to go off the rails, developer Cresford running into trouble and ultimately having its projects halted and put into receivership.

The site has sat mostly idle since then, though signs of activity have been picking up since Concord came into the picture.

With a new developer on board, the project is a go once again. Rendering by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates/architects—Alliance.

Now, the developer is revealing that construction will be "remobilized next month," according to a Tuesday morning press release, allowing work to restart on this skyline-dominating presence, currently a cavernous snow-filled void in the ground surrounded by temporarily-braced heritage facades.

The condo will be impossible to miss at its dominating height. Rendering by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates/architects—Alliance.

We are also learning about life inside this towering behemoth as Concord reveals initial details about the building's interior features.

One space on tap for residents of Concord Sky's approximately 1,100 condo units is an area called the Gear Room, which offers a workshop space for residents to work on bikes, snowboards or skis via condo-provided shared tools. It will also feature a bike washing station as well as a dedicated bike elevator, lockers for bike storage, and a cycling simulator spin room.

The proposed gear room where residents can fix their bikes, skis and snowboards. Rendering by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates/architects—Alliance.

A changing attitude towards high-density living — many have reconsidered living in ultra-dense condos since early 2020 — is reflected in the plan, which includes a multi-layered system designed to deliver cleaner indoor air in common areas.

Known as Concord BioSpace Systems, this feature uses filtration and UV sanitization to treat indoor air.

"By supporting our residents' active lifestyle and investing in a top of the line air purification system with Concord BioSpace, we're responding to a global desire for healthier, hassle-free living where technology and innovative design intersect," said Isaac Chan, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Concord Adex.

Elevators are another concern for pandemic-era condo buyers, which is being addressed with 11 high-speed residential elevators. These elevators will offer a mobile "e-call" feature to cut down on crowding and wait times in elevator lobbies.

The project also aims to be a destination for the green-minded, employing energy efficiency features, including electric vehicle parking infrastructure.